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Wine for one. How to keep wine once it’s open

03/08/2020 Special moments

How many times have you finally been left in peace at home and you’ve wanted to celebrate with a glass of wine? Keen to open that one bottle of wine but you decide not to because you know that once it’s open you have to drink it all or waste it? It’s true. The best way to enjoy wine is in good company. However, we know there are times when a glass of wine on your own is just what you need, so here are some easy tips on how to store an open bottle and keep the wine at its best for as long as possible.

wine conservation

5 essential tips for storing an open bottle of wine

1. Cover well

When storing a wine, the most important thing is to protect it from its main enemy: oxygen. Cap the bottle with the wine cork itself and make sure it is tightly closed. If the cork is damaged you can also use special wine plugs that are antioxidant and totally waterproof.

2.  Put the wine in a different bottle

The more wine in the bottle, the less air can get in, so once a bottle is opened, it’s a good idea to pour the leftover wine into a smaller bottle. That way, the bottle, completely filled with wine, will stop oxygen getting in. 

3. Keep it vertical

An open and well-capped bottle should never be left lying horizontally. This increases the amount of wine in contact with air and speeds up the wine’s oxidation process. Ideally, store it upright and move it as little as possible.

4. Keep away from the heat

Another great enemy of wine is temperature. The higher it is, the faster oxidation will occur. So, an open bottle of wine should definitely be kept tightly covered in the fridge. Obviously when it comes to having another glass, take it out of the fridge in advance to serve the wine at the ideal temperature. 

5. Keep it in the dark

Light is also not a friend of wine. So, whether the bottle is open or closed, always try to keep it in a dark place. Even a short exposure to sunlight can immediately change the taste of the wine.

How long does it take for a wine to go off once opened?

Bearing in mind that the great enemies of wine are oxygen, sudden changes in temperature and light, the truth is that wine begins to spoil as soon as the cork comes out, even if you follow all of these suggestions. However, depending on the type of wine and its age, spoiling will be happen at different rates.

As a general rule, the more fruity aromas the wine has, the more freshness it will lose. Normally a red wine can last longer than a rosé or a white. Reds can last up to a week if kept in the fridge and tightly covered, white and rosé will not last more than 4 days. Of course, if the red wine has been barrel-aged, it will last 3 days at most. Finally, sparkling wines are the most ephemeral. Either drink a whole bottle in a day or wave goodbye to the bubbles. 

However, there are now some innovative accessories to try and make sure these problems don’t get in the way of you enjoying a good glass of wine whenever you want. Here are some of the best:

3 accessories to keep wine in the best condition

1- Air extraction: Vacuum pump

If you want to keep wine for a few days, a vacuum pump is a very good tool. This device removes all the air from the bottle with wine left in it. It creates a vacuum that is held in place by a special cap, preventing contact with oxygen. 

2- Oxygen removal: inert gas injector

A great tool for preserving sparkling wines is the inert gas injector. This tool injects gas which removes the air in the bottle, thus preventing oxidation. These are inert gases, like argon, and will not react with the wine in any way but will preserve it.

3- Drink without removing the cork: Coravin

Finally, one of the devices that has recently revolutionised the wine sector is the Coravin. An innovative system that allows you to pour out wine without uncorking the bottle. Easy, convenient and safe, it is perfect for sampling great wines without having to finish the entire bottle. 

So, as you can see, enjoying a single glass of wine is no longer a problem. And even when you’ve got company but one person wants red and the other white, gone are the days of having to choose just one. With the latest generation of accessories for wine lovers available at Decántalo, you can now enjoy wine whenever you like and as much as you like. It’s up to you!

Image by Aleksandr Burzinskij.

Original source from @burzik on Unsplash.

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